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As the world’s first gold bullion coin, the Canadian Maple Leaf has a long history, dating back to its first release in September 1979. From humble beginnings to selling over 29 million troy ounces of pure gold, dive in and discover the journey of Canada’s most iconic bullion coin!
The first Maple Leaf coin released was the 1 troy ounce gold Maple Leaf, which launched in 1979. At the time, it was the world’s first pure gold 1 oz bullion coin sporting a purity of 0.999. Four decades ago, when the coin first launched, there was only one competing bullion series, the Krugerrands, which are a 91.7% pure gold alloy with copper. When the Krugerrands lost popularity among investors due to sanctions against apartheid-era South Africa, the Canadian Maple Leaf became the de facto replacement gold bullion coin for investors. In the late 1970s, there was a large demand for gold and investors were eager to own a pure gold bullion coin. Inflation ran rampant as the US dollar threatened the stability of global exchange rates when the Bretton Woods system was implemented. Additionally, rising geopolitical tensions in Afghanistan and the Middle East led to increasing uncertainty about the world’s future. Anxious investors flocked to gold as a safe haven to hedge against rising inflation. Sales of Gold maple leaves drastically improved in all parts of the world, especially in East Asia.
The Royal Canadian Mint first released the inaugural maple leaf in September 1979, during a time when sanctions against apartheid South Africa prevented investors from buying the only gold bullion coin in the market. The demand for another gold bullion coin was at an all-time high, and the Canadian Maple Leaf was released to fill the demand. Seeing the success of their gold Maple Leaf series, the Royal Canadian Mint released Maple Leaf coins in silver and platinum a decade later in 1988. At the beginning, Canada only produced one troy ounce Maple Leafs, the standard weight for gold investments. After discovering the success of the one troy ounce coin, the Royal Canadian Mint developed new offerings to meet the demands of investors. In 1982, smaller denominations were first introduced in quarter and one-tenth ounce coins. In 1986, the half-ounce version was introduced, and an even smaller one-twentieth-ounce coin was released in 1993. The mint attempted to market a one-fifteenth-ounce Maple Leaf coin in 1994, but due to its lack of popularity, the coin was retired just a year later. It is estimated that there are only 5493 of these coins minted and distributed globally. The latest and smallest denomination of maple leaf bullion released is the 1-gram Maple Leaf coin, also known as the MapleGram, introduced in 2014.
When the gold maple leaf coin was first issued, it set the standard for gold purity in a bullion coin. The only other competing coin in existence at the time, the gold Krugerrand coin, was a 22-karat coin and was 91.7% gold. Setting out to differentiate itself from the Krugerrand, the Royal Canadian Mint launched the world’s first pure gold coin minted at 99.9% gold. The purity of the gold maple leaf coin was further upgraded from 0.999 to 0.9999 in November 1982, becoming the standard purity for all future gold bullion coins. Even purer gold coins minted at 0.99999 were created starting in 2005, but this purity is reserved solely for special edition coins. Alongside its unparalleled purity, the Royal Canadian Mint offers detailed security features on the coin to prevent counterfeits. In 2013, a small laser-micro-engraved maple leaf was included on the side of the coin as a guarantee of authenticity. The centre of the mark contains a number denoting the year the coin was issued, which is only visible under a magnifying glass. In 2015, precise radial lines were added on both the obverse and reverse sides of the maple leaf coin to further deter counterfeiters from trying to copy the coin.
Over its 46-year run, the Royal Canadian Mint has created a staggering variety of Maple Leaf coins, some more popular than others. Here are a few coins worth featuring!
The Royal Canadian Mint's commitment to innovation and precision, evident since the release of their first pure gold bullion coin, drove them to continuously innovate and create even purer bullion coins. In 2005, the Royal Canadian Mint struck 1 oz gold maple leaf coins in 99.999% purity as an experimental issue. The Mint wanted to test if it was possible to mint a coin in a purity no other mint has achieved before. The coin is legal tender with a $50 face value, and only 600 were minted in this test run. 200 were then melted down for the gold, and only 400 of these experimental coins were up for sale.
On May 3, 2007, the Royal Canadian Mint unveiled one of its most ambitious projects yet, a Gold Maple Leaf coin with a face value of $1 million, weighing 100kg with a purity of 0.99999. At the time, these maple leaf coins were recognized by the Guinness World Record for their status as the world’s largest coin featuring its unparalleled 0.99999 purity. Endearingly termed as the Big Maple Leaf, a set of 5 Big Maple Leaves was produced. The first Big Maple Leaf remains in storage at the Royal Canadian Mint in Ottawa. A Big Maple Leaf, owned by Boris Fuschmann, was lent to the Bode Museum in Berlin, known for housing a collection of unique and interesting coins. The coin was stolen from the Museum in 2017. The coin's gold content was valued at around $4 million at the time, an appealing target for theft. The coin was never recovered, although investigators did find highly pure gold dust matching the purity of the Big Maple Leaf on seized clothing and vehicles, suggesting that the coin might have been melted down for its gold content and sold.
As the world’s first gold bullion coin, the Canadian Maple Leaf has a long history, dating back to its first release in September 1979. From humble beginnings to selling over 29 million troy ounces of pure gold, dive in and discover the journey of Canada’s most iconic bullion coin!
The first Maple Leaf coin released was the 1 troy ounce gold Maple Leaf, which launched in 1979. At the time, it was the world’s first pure gold 1 oz bullion coin sporting a purity of 0.999. Four decades ago, when the coin first launched, there was only one competing bullion series, the Krugerrands, which are a 91.7% pure gold alloy with copper. When the Krugerrands lost popularity among investors due to sanctions against apartheid-era South Africa, the Canadian Maple Leaf became the de facto replacement gold bullion coin for investors. In the late 1970s, there was a large demand for gold and investors were eager to own a pure gold bullion coin. Inflation ran rampant as the US dollar threatened the stability of global exchange rates when the Bretton Woods system was implemented. Additionally, rising geopolitical tensions in Afghanistan and the Middle East led to increasing uncertainty about the world’s future. Anxious investors flocked to gold as a safe haven to hedge against rising inflation. Sales of Gold maple leaves drastically improved in all parts of the world, especially in East Asia.
The Royal Canadian Mint first released the inaugural maple leaf in September 1979, during a time when sanctions against apartheid South Africa prevented investors from buying the only gold bullion coin in the market. The demand for another gold bullion coin was at an all-time high, and the Canadian Maple Leaf was released to fill the demand. Seeing the success of their gold Maple Leaf series, the Royal Canadian Mint released Maple Leaf coins in silver and platinum a decade later in 1988. At the beginning, Canada only produced one troy ounce Maple Leafs, the standard weight for gold investments. After discovering the success of the one troy ounce coin, the Royal Canadian Mint developed new offerings to meet the demands of investors. In 1982, smaller denominations were first introduced in quarter and one-tenth ounce coins. In 1986, the half-ounce version was introduced, and an even smaller one-twentieth-ounce coin was released in 1993. The mint attempted to market a one-fifteenth-ounce Maple Leaf coin in 1994, but due to its lack of popularity, the coin was retired just a year later. It is estimated that there are only 5493 of these coins minted and distributed globally. The latest and smallest denomination of maple leaf bullion released is the 1-gram Maple Leaf coin, also known as the MapleGram, introduced in 2014.
When the gold maple leaf coin was first issued, it set the standard for gold purity in a bullion coin. The only other competing coin in existence at the time, the gold Krugerrand coin, was a 22-karat coin and was 91.7% gold. Setting out to differentiate itself from the Krugerrand, the Royal Canadian Mint launched the world’s first pure gold coin minted at 99.9% gold. The purity of the gold maple leaf coin was further upgraded from 0.999 to 0.9999 in November 1982, becoming the standard purity for all future gold bullion coins. Even purer gold coins minted at 0.99999 were created starting in 2005, but this purity is reserved solely for special edition coins. Alongside its unparalleled purity, the Royal Canadian Mint offers detailed security features on the coin to prevent counterfeits. In 2013, a small laser-micro-engraved maple leaf was included on the side of the coin as a guarantee of authenticity. The centre of the mark contains a number denoting the year the coin was issued, which is only visible under a magnifying glass. In 2015, precise radial lines were added on both the obverse and reverse sides of the maple leaf coin to further deter counterfeiters from trying to copy the coin.
Over its 46-year run, the Royal Canadian Mint has created a staggering variety of Maple Leaf coins, some more popular than others. Here are a few coins worth featuring!
The Royal Canadian Mint's commitment to innovation and precision, evident since the release of their first pure gold bullion coin, drove them to continuously innovate and create even purer bullion coins. In 2005, the Royal Canadian Mint struck 1 oz gold maple leaf coins in 99.999% purity as an experimental issue. The Mint wanted to test if it was possible to mint a coin in a purity no other mint has achieved before. The coin is legal tender with a $50 face value, and only 600 were minted in this test run. 200 were then melted down for the gold, and only 400 of these experimental coins were up for sale.
On May 3, 2007, the Royal Canadian Mint unveiled one of its most ambitious projects yet, a Gold Maple Leaf coin with a face value of $1 million, weighing 100kg with a purity of 0.99999. At the time, these maple leaf coins were recognized by the Guinness World Record for their status as the world’s largest coin featuring its unparalleled 0.99999 purity. Endearingly termed as the Big Maple Leaf, a set of 5 Big Maple Leaves was produced. The first Big Maple Leaf remains in storage at the Royal Canadian Mint in Ottawa. A Big Maple Leaf, owned by Boris Fuschmann, was lent to the Bode Museum in Berlin, known for housing a collection of unique and interesting coins. The coin was stolen from the Museum in 2017. The coin's gold content was valued at around $4 million at the time, an appealing target for theft. The coin was never recovered, although investigators did find highly pure gold dust matching the purity of the Big Maple Leaf on seized clothing and vehicles, suggesting that the coin might have been melted down for its gold content and sold.
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